For us, the ‘9 to 5’ is an anachronism. It’s something that we kept doing, day after day, year after year. But why? It took coronavirus – and a global lock down – to make many of us realise that we could still work and live, but we could do it differently. We could do it better. Something changed fundamentally in our mindset.
If we can make something like remote working a reality, then it can have lots of other benefits as well: it means that congestion on transport networks are eased, as everyone doesn’t have to be in the same place at the same time. Time that would be taken up by commuting can be spent on something more meaningful – taking the kids to school, going for a jog, engaging in a passion project. We become less stressed, we get to spend more time with our families, and our mental health improves. People can choose to live where they want versus where they have to. As a result, more money is spent in regional economies, meaning that wealth is spread more evenly across the country. Lots of seemingly unrelated things can benefit from one fundamental shift. A virtuous circle of positive change can be created.
We are building a movement of like-minded thinkers and doers who believe that we have the opportunity to fundamentally change the way work and live forever. Boundless opportunities await, but it involves turning big ideas into bold actions. If we can rethink everything from the way we work, live, travel, make things and produce energy, then we will not just survive the 21st Century, but thrive in it.
We are starting with the ball rolling with ending the 9 to 5 – bringing together business and entrepreneurship, innovation and policy making – to work out what we need to do to make this big idea a reality. But who knows where we’ll end up? We think there are so many issues to tackle and opportunities to be found – there are so many more virtuous circles yet to be created. How can we re-skill people to give them relevance in an increasingly automated economy? How do we support daring entrepreneurs and incubate nascent technologies? What does the future of housing look like? We don’t know the answer to these questions, but we want to find out. We would love you to come and join us on this journey. We don’t know what twists and turns may lay ahead, but we do know it’s going to be the most fascinating chapter of our human experience yet written.